It is classified as “potentially hazardous” by Nasa, but this does not mean it will crash into Earth in the near future.

The asteroid is classed as a potentially hazardous object (PHO) because it is bigger than 140 metres and will come within 5 million miles of Earth's orbit.

At present, no known PHO poses an immediate danger to the planet.

This is how far the asteroid 1998 OR2 will flyby Earth on 29th April... It will pass by Earth at a distance of 3.9 million miles away, which is 16 times the distance of the Earth to the Moon! pic.twitter.com/I3Pu8HBDO3

“The small-scale topographic features such as hills and ridges on one end of asteroid 1998 OR2 are fascinating scientifically,” said Dr Anne Virkki, head of Planetary Radar at the observatory.

“But since we are all thinking about COVID-19, these features make it look like 1998 OR2 remembered to wear a mask.”

The Arecibo observatory is tracking the asteroid (NASA)

Scientists are continuing to monitor the asteroid to see how it will move beyond 2020.

"The radar measurements allow us to know more precisely where the asteroid will be in the future, including its future close approaches to Earth," said Flaviane Venditti, a research scientist at the observatory.